"Solve It! is a curriculum designed to improve the mathematical problem solving skills of students in the upper elementary, middle, and secondary school grades - including those students who are having difficulty in mathematics. Solve It! is designed for students who are developmentally ready to engage in complex, higher-order skillsthat require metacognitive processing."
Good problem solvers:
Comprehend linguistic and numerical information in math problems.
Translate and transform that information into mathematical notations, algorithms, and equations.
Observe relationships among the elements in math problems.
Formulate the plans to solve problems.
Predict outcomes.
Regulate the solution paths as they are executed.
Detect and correct errors while solving math problems.
7 Steps in the Solve It! Process (RPV-HECC)
Read
Read the problem. Do you understand it?
Paraphrase
Underline (or highlight) the important information.
Put the problem into your own words.
Visualize
Draw a picture, diagram, chart or list.
Be sure to include the question!
Hypothesize
Make a plan to solve the problem. What operations will you need? How many steps?
(8th graders) Write an equation using variables to outline your plan.
Estimate
Predict your answer (including units!).
Compute
Solve the problem/equation. Do the calculations! What is your answer?
Include your unit!
Check
Use the inverse to prove the value of your variable.
More information about the Solve It! program on the web.
Good problem solvers:
7 Steps in the Solve It! Process (RPV-HECC)
More information about the Solve It! program on the web.